


For Wreck or Ruin

by shrimpheavenwow



Category: Newsies - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drinking, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Making Out, Sexual Tension, basically they don’t do the sex but boy do they want to, i barely proofread this lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-29 14:33:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16745818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shrimpheavenwow/pseuds/shrimpheavenwow
Summary: Race goes out drinking with everyone and Davey is bolder than Race thought he was.





	For Wreck or Ruin

**Author's Note:**

> I have no reason for writing this other than I love flustered Race and there isn't near enough ravey content out there. Unbeta'd so sorry for any mistakes! Kudos and comments welcome!!
> 
> Hmu on tumblr @ [broadwait](https://broadwait.tumblr.com). Title from [Full Metal Black by The Royal They](https://youtu.be/X9iiKR3ukn4)

Race wasn’t shy. Race had never been shy. He was a firm believer in being unapologetically who he was. That being said, Davey Jacobs could turn him from confident to a stuttering mess in a matter of seconds.

They were at a bar celebrating Elmer’s promotion. He'd invited them all out for drinks, insisting that he pay for them all because he could afford it now with his new position. 

Which is why Race was tucked into a wrap around booth before most of the guys had really arrived. It was big enough to hold just about everyone who was coming, if they sat really close together. Race was nursing his first beer still, waiting for everyone else to show up. Jack was already there, as were Crutchie and Finch, all chatting idly. There was no sense in really starting until everyone else was there, so Race was just scrolling through his phone and absentmindedly sipping his beer. And then Davey showed up.

Race wasn’t a nervous guy, not about liking guys and  _ especially  _ not about flirting with them. Race didn’t do subtle, he was forward as all hell. Then Davey had to come alone and turn all his mannerisms on their head. 

When Race was around Davey, he couldn’t think straight (no pun intended). There was something different about him that made Race hesitate, stopping him from flirting as outrightly as he normally did. It might’ve been something to do with how smart he was, a kind of intelligence that translates into respectability. Race didn’t know how to be respectable, not in the way Davey was. He was a little scared that if he started flirting the way he normally did with Davey then he’d fuck things up.

And that was the other part about it: Race really  _ really _ didn’t want to mess things up this time. Davey wasn’t some passing crush or fleeting hookup, he meant something. Race had never liked anyone quite the way that he liked Davey. Davey was smart and passionate and funny and right now? He was fucking  _ hot _ . 

He was wearing a low rise jeans and a tight fitting shirt that rode up every so often, revealing sharp hip bones, the deep v that extended below the waistband. Race took a breath and forced himself to look away. 

He slid into the booth on Race’s side, moving all the way over so he was next to Race. Race held his breath for just a fraction of a second. He had a beer he’d grabbed from the bar, which he took a sip of, greeting the other people at the table with a smile and a nod. This was fine, this was great, everything was going to be good. Race downed the rest of his beer in one shot, hoping that it would help alleviate the anxiety twisting in his stomach. Davey turned to him.

“Hey Race,” Davey said. Race plastered on a smile.

“Hi Dave.”

“I like that shirt,” he said. It was a patterned blue button down that Race definitely didn’t pick because it looked good on him and he knew he’d be seeing Davey.

Davey looked him over, quickly, and Race tried his best to not feel self conscious. He seemed to hesitate, just for a second, before reaching out and taking the collar of Race’s shirt between his thumb and forefinger, feeling the fabric.

“It’s softer than I expected.”

Race cleared his throat nervously. “Yeah, it is.” 

Davey looked him in the eyes for a moment before lowering his hand and taking a drink of his beer. He turned away and started talking to Jack, jumping into their conversation. Race went back to scrolling through his phone, a little disoriented. 

Everyone started showing up soon enough, and the situation eventually arose where there was just barely not enough space for how they were all sitting.

“Oh it’s fine, we’ll just scoot together,” Davey said, shifting so there was more room for everyone else to squeeze in. His side was pressed flush against Race, much closer than was strictly necessary, and for the first time in his life, Race wished he had less friends. If there weren’t as many people then he wouldn’t have to be worried about his heart hammering in his chest and whether or not Davey could feel it from the contact he had with his side. 

Davey didn’t even seem fazed, he just kept throwing back beer like it was no one’s business. It wasn’t that he was drinking a lot, he was just drinking more than Race had ever seen him drink. Now that he was thinking about it, had Race ever seen him drink? Usually Davey was the designated driver, but even when he wasn’t, Race couldn’t remember seeing Davey even take a sip of something. For a guy who didn’t drink much, Davey was holding up surprisingly well. He was talking coherently, moving fluidly; the only thing that really gave him away was the pink tint to his cheeks, and the red flush that was steadily creeping up his neck. Race was only halfway listening to the chatter around him when he heard his name.

“Race, didn’t you eat cat food once on a dare?” Finch asked from across the table.

“First of all, it was dog food. Second of all, you’re saying it like there was no justification for it,” Race replied before launching into the full story. It was a nice distraction from the man beside him. He had everyone chuckling through it, Davey included, though Race could mostly tell because he was pressed so close that he was alerted to every single movement Davey made.

“So we’re sitting there, Jack’s crying with laughter, Davey’s half asleep, and I’m trying not to throw up because dog food is more disgusting than you can imagine-”

Davey started laughing again, this time resting a hand on Race’s shoulder to steady himself

“I still can’t believe you did that, it was just a dare,” Davey laughed. His body was turned towards Race, just ever so slightly facing him more than the rest of the group. His laughter calmed down after a second but his hand didn’t retract. It just stayed on Race’s shoulder, the warmth of his palm sinking in through Race’s clothes.

“Ha, yeah, well you know me,” Race stuttered out, his face heating up. “I can’t turn down a dare. I just, um. Yeah, right, I can’t do it haha.”

Race’s eyes flickered around quickly, trying to focus on something and not look at Davey under any circumstances. Across the table, Albert quirked an eyebrow, probably a little confused about why he stumbled over his words, about why he looked panicked for seemingly no reason. Race moved his eyes away and took a deep breath, finishing his story. He rushed through the end of it, not fully trusting himself to speak for much longer. When he finished, JoJo jumped in with a story of his own, fixing the table’s attention on him rather than Race. Race let out a little sigh in relief, before he realized the weight had not left his shoulder.

Race had expected Davey to pull his hand away, but instead he started to move it. It was slow at first, subtle, just little stroking motions that focused around his shoulder, something Race could probably brush off if he really wanted to. But the longer his hand was on Race’s shoulder, the more and more noticable the action became, until it was something more like a half caress, half massage of his shoulder and arm. Race could feel the blush spreading up from his chest to his neck to his face but he didn’t want to acknowledge it. Everyone was still looking at JoJo, Davey included. Race snuck a glance out of the corner of his eye. 

Davey was staring ahead, not paying any mind to Race, his face seemingly innocent. But his hand was still slowly moving up and down Race’s arm, like he didn’t realize he was doing it. The thought crossed Race’s mind that maybe he didn’t know he was doing it, maybe it was a subconscious action that he hadn’t given any thought to.

But then Davey suddenly tore his gaze from JoJo and looked over at Race. Race turned his head so he was fully looking at Davey and not sneaking glances out of his peripheral. His expression was slightly more intense than it had been before, somehow less innocent. His head was bent down slightly, making his gaze just a tad half lidded. There was something heavy in the look he was giving him and Race didn’t know what it was or how to feel about it.

Davey leaned his head in close and whispered into Race’s ear. Race swallowed, more out of nervousness than anything else

“You’re all red, Race, you feeling alright?” His breath ghosted over his neck and Race had to try very hard to suppress a shiver. 

“Ye- yeah I’m fine. It’s just a little warm in here.” Davey nodded but didn’t pull out of Race’s space. His hand found its way to the back of Race’s neck and it felt like the whole of him was burning.

“It is a little hot in here. I think I’m going to head outside for a few minutes and cool off. You should think about going too if you want, you look like some fresh air could do you good.”

“I’ll definitely think about it,” Race replied. Davey flashed him a smirk.

“I’m going to get some air for a bit, I’ll be back soon,” Davey announced to the group, letting the people near him get up so he could slide out and head toward the exit. The people who were standing didn’t sit down though, they just looked at Race. Albert cleared his throat. 

“So?” He asked

“So what?”

“Are you going too?” 

Race tried to force a laugh but it got caught halfway in his throat and came out kind of strangled. “Why would him leaving automatically mean I would follow him?”

Albert rolled his eyes. “Race, he’s been giving you bedroom eyes all night. Either go after him or get a fucking room, jesus christ.”

If Race could blush a darker red, he would have. But for the moment, all he did was take a swig of his beer, slide out of the booth, and start walking towards where Davey had headed. 

Race found Davey leaning against a wall a few feet from the door, his back pressed against the brick, his head tilted upwards. He glanced over as the door opened, looking at Race. The cool air hit his cheeks and Race realized Davey had been right. It was much cooler outside than inside, and the temperature made him feel a bit more relaxed, a bit more himself.

“Nice of you to join me.”

Race walked over and took a spot next to him, attempting to imitate his stance. Davey turned and looked at him, giving him another once over.

“You look really good tonight,” Davey said. Race smirked a bit.

“I try,” he replied. Davey tilted his head a bit so he was facing Race a bit more than he had been before.

“I want you to know that I’m a little drunk. I’m a little drunk but you’re hot and I’m not just saying that because I’m pretty tipsy.”

Race could feel his cheeks heating up all over again, but he turned so he was facing Davey, still leaning against the wall but with only one side. 

“Am I now?” Race could feel himself slipping back into his flirtatious manner. This was good, this was familiar. He’d been thrown off, flustered even, when Davey had started flirting with him but it was good that Davey had. This was the kind of situation where Race knew the rules. Davey was looking at Race, with a heavy gaze and dark eyes and tousled hair and Race realized this was something he wanted, and wanted bad.

Davey moved so he was mirroring Race’s position against the wall.

“I might be more confident after a few beers but it doesn’t make me a liar,” Davey said.

They were drifting closer. Race’s eyes flickered from Davey’s mouth to his eyes, back and forth, until their faces were less than a foot away from each other.

“You aren’t looking too bad yourself, Jacobs.”

“God, just kiss me already.”

Davey took him by the collar and pulled, crashing his lips into Race’s. It wasn’t graceful, and at first it wasn’t much more than just hard pressure, lips against lips, unmoving. After a second it morphed into something more coordinated, as coordinated as they could really be with Davey still a little drunk and Race being less than sober himself. It was kind of sloppy and desperate, no thought to nuance or skill, no thought to anything at all besides Davey’s hands on Race’s shoulders, moving to press him against the wall. 

Race rested his hands on both of Davey’s sides, not on his hips but as close as he could without touching the skin that was showing from where his shirt had ridden up. One of Davey’s hands trailed down his side, reaching the hem on Race’s shirt. He pulled back to look in his eyes, just far enough away that Race could see the unspoken question there. Race nodded, just slightly. Davey brought their lips together again and slipped a hand under his shirt, sliding up to his ribs and settling there. 

Race’s teeth grazed Davey’s bottom lip as Davey pulled away, making him gasp ever so slightly. He ducked his head into Race’s neck, mouthing at his pulse point, trailing down to the junction where his neck met his shoulder. He kissed the area gently before biting down. Race threw his head back against the brick of the wall, his breath coming out in hot pants. 

“We should take this somewhere else,” Race said, breathless. Davey nodded profusely, pulling away and moving slightly towards the entrance of the bar.

“I’ll go tell everyone not to wait up” he said as he turned to go. Race’s hand flew out to grasp his wrist.

“Wait- before we go… is this just about hooking up? Or because you’re kind of tipsy? Because I don’t know if I can do this if it is. I like you a lot, Davey. I have for a while, and I’m not sure I could deal with it if this was just a one time thing or like a friends with benefits thing, not that those wouldn’t be great too, it would be fantastic, but I just would really like to have an actual relationship with you and-” 

Davey cut off his rambling by kissing him, but not in the feverish way he’d been before. It was slow and soft and sweet and Race melted into it. Davey pulled away, placing a hand on Race’s cheek.

“I’ve liked you for a while too, you idiot, I just needed some alcohol to give me the confidence to do something about it.” 

“Oh,” was all Race would think to say. Davey’s hand moved from its place on his cheek into his hair, running through it. 

“Yeah” Davey replied, removing his hand from Race’s hair and motioning towards the entrance again. “So I should tell them we’re leaving?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Race breathed, a smile on his lips. Davey returned it, just for a second, before slipping inside. Race’s smile grew to a grin as he waited for Davey to come back. Davey reappeared a minute later, walking over and wrapping an arm around Race’s waist.

“Ready?” he asked. Race took Davey in: his half lidded gaze, the tightness of the hand on his waist, the intensity in his eyes. It was enough to send a rush of excitement through him. He smiled up at him.

“Absolutely.”


End file.
